Method, system and data structure for processing documents and kit for finding and reading markings on a document

ABSTRACT

A method for processing a document, including performing one or more processing steps with the document, such as printing, franking, assembling mail pieces, or opening received mail pieces. The method further includes defining a first possible location of a marking on a document; and searching a first part of a document for the marking, the first part corresponding to the first possible location. When the marking is not found in the first part a further possible location of a marking on a document is defined and a further part of the document for the marking is searched. The further part corresponds to the further possible location. The location of the marking with respect to the document is stored in the memory in case the marking is found in the first part or the further part. Information about the document is derived from the found marking. The derived information is presented at an output, for further processing of the information.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to EuropeanPatent Application, EP 05077682.2, filed Nov. 23, 2005, the contents ofthe entirety of which is incorporated by this reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a method, a system and a data structure forprocessing documents, to a kit for finding and reading markings on adocument.

BACKGROUND

Systems for processing documents are known. Such systems can receiveelectronic documents, e.g., as print data, or as physical documents. Inoperation, the system performs one or more processing steps on thereceived documents, e.g., in order to print the documents, assemble thedocuments into mail pieces, to provide the documents with a frankingvalue or otherwise.

During the processing, the received documents are searched to find abarcode marking provided to the document. The barcode can, for example,be used for tracking and tracing purposes. Depending on the system, thesettings of the search process are either set manually or automatically.

For example, European patent publication 1 347 372, the contents of theentirety of which are hereby incorporated by this reference, discloses amethod and device for printing and preparing mail from a data stream inwhich the settings are set manually. From amongst the data stream anidentification criterion for various pages is selected and the datastream is analyzed to identify the pages concerned. The identificationcriterion is selected by displaying one or more pages on a display, andselecting by the user a geometric position of the data in the datastream, which serves as an identification criterion. However, adisadvantage of the method and device known from European patentpublication 1 347 372 is the manual selection by the user. Thisdisadvantage is especially troublesome in case different types ofdocuments are processed with the system, e.g., with different sizes ordifferent locations of the marking. This requires a manual adjustment ofthe settings every time a new type of document is processed in order toensure that the area provided with the document is scanned.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,341, the contents of the entirety of which arehereby incorporated by this reference, discloses an automaticpostal-code number reading system. The system has a pre-scanning sectionand a main scanning unit. In operation, the pre-scanning sectionperforms a coarse pre-scan on a relatively broad area of a mail item.The pre-scanning section then determines the location of a postal codewithin the relatively broad area and delivers x and y coordinates ofthis location to the main scanning unit. The main scanning unit scansthe smaller area defined by the x and y coordinates with a fine scan.The data resulting from the fine scan are transmitted to a characterrecognition circuit in which the postal code is recognized.

However, a disadvantage of the system known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,341is that the geometrical position of the broad area has to bepre-defined, i.e., the geometrical position has to be defined before thepre-scanning section performs the pre-scan. Furthermore, scanning therelatively broad area requires a relatively large amount of time.

United States Patent application 2005/0067496, the contents of theentirety of which are hereby incorporated by this reference, discloses amethod and system for extracting graphical barcodes from template-baseddocuments. A scanner reads a hard copy of a template-based document toproduce a digital scanned image of the hard copy. The image is processedby a graphical barcode extractor to determine the type of documenttemplate the hard copy is based on. The graphical barcode extractordetermines a location of a barcode candidate from the determined type ofdocument template. The image is then cropped based on the location ofthe barcode candidate, and the cropped image is decoded to extractinformation.

However, a disadvantage of this method and system is that the templatehas to be pre-defined before the processing of the image to determinethe template. Furthermore, processing of the image to determine thetemplate and a barcode candidate requires a relatively large amount oftype and processing power.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In certain embodiments, the invention provides a method for processingdocuments, in which the need to predefine the settings of a markingdetection is obviated. One embodiment of the invention is a method forprocessing a document, including:

-   -   performing one or more processing steps with the document, such        as printing, franking, assembling to mail pieces, or opening        received mail pieces;    -   defining a first possible location of a marking on a document by        selecting from a memory a location of a marking and setting the        possible location in accordance with the selected location;    -   searching a first part of a document for the marking, the first        part corresponding to the first possible location;        if the marking has not been found in the first part, repeatedly        until the marking has been found or all the marking locations        stored in the memory have been selected:    -   defining a further possible location of a marking on a document        by selecting from a memory a further location of a marking and        setting the further possible location in accordance with the        further selected location; and    -   searching a further part of the document for the marking, the        further part corresponding to the further possible location;        if the marking has been found in the first part or the further        part:    -   storing the location of the marking with respect to the        document;    -   deriving information concerning the document from the marking        found; and    -   presenting the derived information at an output, for further        processing of the information; or        if, after all parts of the document corresponding to possible        locations of the marking stored in the memory have been        searched, the marking has not been found:    -   searching a part of the document larger than the searched parts        of the document for the marking.

With such a method, a self-learning effect can be achieved, since thelocation of the marking found is stored in the memory. Thus, the need ofpredefining the settings is obviated. Furthermore, a following time themethod is performed, the part to be searched can be defined tocorrespond to one of the stored locations. Thus, the chance of findingthe marking the following time is relatively high and accordingly themarking may be found in a relatively short time. Also, the method, mayrequire less time compared to the above described prior art methodsbecause a part of the document is searched which corresponds to thepossible location of the marking. Hence, only a part of the document issearched, in which the chance of finding the marking is relatively high.Thus, the search can be performed automatically and will take less timecompared to searching the whole area of the document.

Furthermore, the invention may be embodied in a system for processing adocument, including:

at least one processing unit for performing one or more processing stepswith a document, such as printing, franking, assembling to mail piecesor opening a received mail piece;

a search unit having an input connected to a memory for selecting alocation of a marking from the memory; the search unit being arrangedfor:

-   -   defining a first possible location of a marking on a document by        selecting from the memory a location of a marking and setting        the possible location in accordance with the selected location;        and    -   searching a first part of a document for the marking, the first        part corresponding to the first possible location;

the search unit further being arranged for, if the marking has not beenfound in the first part, repeatedly until the marking has been found orall the marking locations stored in the memory have been selected:

-   -   defining a further possible location of a marking on a document        by selecting from the memory a further location of a marking and        setting the further possible location in accordance with the        further selected location; and    -   searching a further part of the document for the marking, the        further part corresponding to the further possible location;

the search unit further having an output connected to the memory, forstoring the location of a found marking in the memory;

a processor connected to the search unit, for deriving informationconcerning the document from the marking found, which processor has aprocessor output at which data representing the derived information canbe outputted for further processing of the information.

The invention may further be embodied in a kit for finding and readingmarkings on a document, including:

a memory in which data representing at least one prospective location ofa marking on a document can be stored;

a search unit having an input connected to the memory for selecting alocation of a marking from the memory; the search unit being arrangedfor:

-   -   defining a first possible location of a marking on a document by        selecting from the memory a location of a marking and setting        the possible location in accordance with the selected location;        and    -   searching a first part of a document for the marking, the first        part corresponding to the first possible location;

the search unit further being arranged for, if the marking has not beenfound in the first part, repeatedly until the marking has been found orall the marking locations stored in the memory have been selected:

-   -   defining a further possible location of a marking on a document        by selecting from the memory a further location of a marking and        setting the further possible location in accordance with the        further selected location; and    -   searching a further part of the document for the marking, the        further part corresponding to the further possible location;

the search unit further having an output connected to the memory, forstoring the location of a found marking in the memory;

a processor connected to the search unit, for deriving informationconcerning the document from the marking found, which processor has aprocessor output at which data representing the derived information canbe outputted for further processing of the information.

The invention may further be embodied in a memory in which a datastructure for access by a data processing system is stored, the datastructure including computer program code for, when run on aprogrammable data processing system:

-   -   causing one or more processing steps with the document, such as        printing, franking, assembling to mail pieces, or opening        received mail pieces to be performed;    -   defining a first possible location of a marking on a document by        selecting from a memory a location of a marking and setting the        possible location in accordance with the selected location;    -   causing a first part of a document to be searched for the        marking, the first part corresponding to the first possible        location;        if the marking has not been found in the first part, repeatedly        until the marking has been found or all the marking locations        stored in the memory have been selected:    -   defining a further possible location of a marking on a document        by selecting from a memory a further location of a marking and        setting the further possible location in accordance with the        further selected location; and    -   causing a further part of the document to be searched for the        marking, the further part corresponding to the further possible        location;        if the marking has been found in the first part or the further        part:    -   storing the location of the marking with respect to the        document;    -   deriving information concerning the document from the marking        found; and    -   presenting the derived information at an output, for further        processing of the information; or        if, after all parts of the document corresponding to possible        locations of the marking stored in the memory have been        searched, the marking has not been found:    -   causing a part of the document larger than the searched parts of        the document to be searched for the marking.

Such a system, kit or data structure are specifically adapted for use ina method according to the invention.

Specific embodiments of the invention are set forth in the dependentclaims.

Further details, aspects and embodiments of the invention will bedescribed, by way of example only, with reference to the attacheddrawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 schematically shows a block-diagram of an example of anembodiment of a sensor system.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a number of documents provided with markings.

FIG. 3 schematically shows a side-view of an example of an embodiment ofa system for processing documents.

FIG. 4 schematically shows an example of an embodiment of a processingunit which may be used in the example of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 schematically shows a first example of an embodiment of a kit forfinding markings on a document.

FIG. 6 schematically shows a second example of an embodiment of a kitfor finding markings on a document.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The system shown in FIG. 1 has a search unit which in this exampleincludes a sensor 300, and a control unit 310. The system furtherincludes a memory 330 and a processor 320. In this example, the sensorcontrol unit 310 is connected with a control unit output 311 to a sensorcontrol input 301 of the sensor 300. The sensor control unit 310 isconnected with a control unit input 312 to the memory 330. The processor320 is connected with a processor input 322 to a sensor data output 302of the sensor 300.

FIG. 2 schematically shows a number of documents 520-550 of a batch ofdocuments to be processed. The documents 520-550 in a batch may havedifferent sizes. In this example, the documents 520-550 are sheet-likeshaped and have different sizes (in this example A4 (21 cm by 29.7 cm)and A5 (14.8 cm by 21 cm), respectively).

The shown documents 520-550 are provided with markings 521-551. In thisexample, the markings 521-551 represent information about the respectivedocuments, and are provided on the documents 520-550 in the form ofbarcodes. As shown in FIG. 2, the position of the markings 521-551 maydiffer between documents, but this is not necessary. In FIG. 2, forexample, a marking 521 is proved at the lower left corner of a document520 of size A4, a marking 541 is provided in the upper-right corner ofdocument 540 of size A4. A document 530 of size A5 is provided with amarking 531 extending over substantially the whole edge of the sheet atthe right-hand side of the document. Another document 550 of size A5 isprovided with a marking 551 extending over substantially the edge at theleft-hand side.

During processing of the documents, for instance, by means of theexample of a system shown in FIG. 3, the markings may be searched. Theinformation represented by the markings may be used in the processing ofthe document or another operation, such as generating a mail manifest orotherwise. The system shown in FIG. 1 can be used to search thedocuments 520-550 for the markings 521-551. In FIG. 1, a document 520provided with two markings 521,522, in this example barcodes, is shownwhile being searched for the markings by the system. As is explainedbelow, the system may perform an example of a method according to theinvention to find one or more of the markings 521,522.

In the example of FIG. 1, the sensor control unit 310 is arranged todefine a possible location of a marking on a document being processed.In this example, location data sets 331-335 are stored in the memory330. Each of the location data sets 331-335 represents a possiblelocation of a marking on a document. The sensor control unit 310 definesa possible location of a marking by selecting from the memory 330 one ofthe location data sets 331-335.

In case the memory 330 is empty, i.e., no location data set is presentin the memory 330, the sensor control unit 310 defines the possiblelocation of the marking to be a default location. In this example, thedefault location consists of the entire part of the document that can besearched by the system. In case the document is a physical document, thedefault location may, for example, consist of the entire surface of thedocument visible to an optical scanner. In case the document to besearched is an electronic document, the default location may, forexample, be the entire electronic document.

The sensor control unit 310 is arranged to control the operation of thesensor 300 such that the sensor 300 searches a part of the documentcorresponding to the defined possible location. To that end, the sensorcontrol unit 310 transmits suitable control signals via the control unitoutput 311 and the sensor control input 301 to the sensor 300. Thesensor 300 searches a part of the document 520 corresponding to thedefined possible location for the marking 521,522. In this example, thesensor 300 generates an image of the search location and transmits datarepresenting the image of the searched part to a processor 320 via thesensor data output 302 and a processor input 320.

The processor 320 searches the received data for the marking. In casethe marking 521,522 is found, the processor 320 derives informationabout the document 520 from the data received from the sensor 300. Theprocessor 320 presents at the processor output 321 data representing thederived information. This information may then be used in further dataprocessing, for example to track the transport of the document 520 alonga processing path thereof, to determine whether or not the document 520has been processed correctly or any other application suitable for thespecific implementation.

The processor 320 further transmits data representing the location ofthe found marking 521,522 to the sensor control unit 310. The sensorcontrol unit 310 generates a new location data set at least containingthe location of the found marking 521,522. The new location data set isstored in the memory 330 in case there is no location data set 331-335present in the memory 330 which already represents the location of thefound marking 521,522. Together with the location of the found marking,the sensor control unit 310 may store additional data in the newlocation data set. The additional data may for example includeinformation about the document on which the marking was found, such assize, type, etc. The additional data may further include informationabout the marking, such as the type of marking or other suitableinformation.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sensor 300 has a sensor window, from hereonreferred to as the scan window 340, within which the sensor 300 canperceive an object. Objects positioned outside of the scan window 340will not be perceived by the sensor 300. In FIG. 1, a surface 341 ispresent of which a part lies within the scan window 340, in FIG. 1 thisis the part of the surface 341 between x₀ and x₁. From hereon, the partof the surface 341 within the scan window 340 is referred to as the scanarea 400.

In the example of FIG. 1, the document to be searched is a physicaldocument 520 provided with markings 521,522. The document 520 ispositioned on the surface 341, inside the scan area 400. The areaoccupied by the document 520 in the scan area 400 is from hereonreferred to as the document area 410. In FIG. 1 the document area 410extends between coordinates x₂ and x₃ within the scan area 400.

In this example, upon initialization, the sensor 300 determines thelocation of the document area 410 within the scan area 400. For example,the surface 341 may have a distinct color or pattern, which differs fromthat of the document 520, and the sensor 300 may be arranged todetermine from this difference the part of the surface 341 occupied bythe document and define the document area 410 accordingly. For example,by searching the scan data for parts with the distinct color or patternand limiting the area to the parts not having this color or pattern. Forinstance, in FIG. 1, the sensor 300 may define the document area 410 asbeing the part of the scan area 400 between coordinates x₂ and x₃.

The document area 410 may also be defined by the sensor 300 based onprocessing data received by the sensor 300. E.g., the processing datamay describe how a document is to be processed by a processing unit. Thesensor 300 may then derive from the processing data which part of thescan area 400 might be occupied by a document and define the documentarea 410 accordingly.

For example, the processing data may define that physical documents witha certain size, e.g., A4 (21 cm by 29.7 cm) and A5 (14.8 cm by 21 cm),will be processed into mail pieces of certain size, e.g., A5, and mayspecify the mail piece (e.g., which annexes, envelop type, etc.). Thesensor 300 may then, for example, determine that e.g., the physicaldocuments will be positioned in the scan area 340 at a certain locationduring the processing and set the document accordingly. For example, thesensor 300 may determine from the processing data that physicaldocuments of A4 size enter the scan area 430 in landscape position, andthe physical documents of A5 size in portrait position. The sensor 300may then define that the document area 341 has substantially the widthof the scan area and extends in the longitudinal direction 30 cm from anentrance side of the scan area (at which entrance side the documentsenter the scan area).

The sensor 300 may define the document area 410 at initialization only.For example, for a batch of documents being processed, the sensor 300may set the document area 410 to remain the same during processing ofthe batch. However, the sensor 300 may also define the document area 410dynamically and redefine the document area 410 for each document to besearched, for example using the processing data.

In the example of FIG. 1, the document area 410 and/or scan area 400 aredefined in terms of length and width of a surface. However, the documentarea 410 may also be defined as a time during which the document 520passes through the scan area 400. For instance, in case the sensor 300is implemented as a line scan camera, the document area 410 may bedefined in terms of the width of the scan area 400 occupied by thedocument 520 and the time it takes for the document 520 to pass throughthe, line-shaped, area scanned by the line scan camera.

In the example of FIG. 1, initially the memory 330 is empty. Uponinitialization, the sensor control unit 310 defines the possiblelocation of the marking to be the default location, e.g., to consist ofthe whole document area 410. The sensor 300 searches the whole documentarea 410 for the marking 521,522. Since the whole document area 410 issearched, the marking 521,522 will be found. The sensor 300 determinesthe location of the found marking in the document area 400, e.g.,between coordinates x₂ and x₄ or between coordinates x₃ and x₅ in theexample of FIG. 1. The location is then stored in the memory 330, as hasbeen described above. Thus, in case a following document is processed,in the memory 330 a location data set is present.

For a following document, the sensor control unit 310 selects a locationdata set 331-335 stored in the memory 300. In case more than onelocation data set 331-335 is present in the memory 330, the sensorcontrol unit 310 uses a predetermined selection criterion. For example,the sensor control unit 310 may select the location data set 331-335which corresponds to the location of a marking found on a directlypreceding document or select the location data set 331-335 whichcorresponds to a location in which a desired marking has been found mostoften.

Also, the sensor control unit 310 may receive document-processinginstructions, and determine from the processing instructions informationabout the document and select the first possible location and/or secondpossible location taking the determined document information intoaccount. For example, when the processing instructions reveal that thedocument is not folded, from the envelop size, the maximum size of adocument may be determined, e.g., for a C4-envelope the maximum isA4-size.

For example, the size of a document may be determined prior to thesearching, for example from received processing instructions, and alocation set may be selected taking the determined document size intoaccount. For instance, one or more location data sets 331-335 maycontain document size information and the sensor control unit 310 mayselect a set of which the document size information matches thedetermined size of the document.

After a location data set has been selected, the sensor control unit 310defines the possible location of the marking in accordance with thelocation information in the set. The sensor 300 searches the part of thedocument area 410 corresponding to the defined possible location. Forinstance, in FIG. 1, the sensor 300 searches a first part 411 of thedocument area 410 corresponding to a first possible location, e.g.,between coordinates x₂ and x₄ in FIG. 1. If the marking is found in thefirst part 411, the sensor outputs the information about the marking tothe processor 320, as has been described above.

When the marking is not found in the first part 411, the sensor 300sends a “not found” message to the sensor control unit 310. The sensorcontrol unit 310 selects a following location data set in response tothe “not found” message, and defines a second possible locationcorresponding to location information in the following location dataset. The sensor 300 then searches a second part 412 of the document area410 corresponding to the second possible location, e.g., betweencoordinates x₃ and x₅. In case the marking is not found in the secondpart 412, the sensor control unit 310 is informed by the sensor 300 andanother possible location is defined, until either the marking is foundon the document or all location data sets have been used.

In case all location data sets 331-335 stored in the memory 330 havebeen used, and the marking was not found, the sensor control unit 310defines a final possible location which is larger than the combinedparts that have already been searched. The final possible location mayconsist of the whole document area 410 or the whole scan area 400. Incase the marking is within the scan window 340, the marking will then befound by the sensor 300 and its location be stored in the memory 330.Thus, for a successive document, the part of the document area 410corresponding to this location can be searched. There is a relativelylarge chance that, for the successive document, the location of themarking corresponds to the location of a marking found on a precedingdocument. Thus, it is likely that the marking can be found withoutsearching the whole document. Thereby, the amount of time and processingpower required to find the marking is reduced.

Searching the part or parts of the document may be performed in anysuitable manner. The searching may, for example, include scanning atleast the respective part of the document 520, and processing the scandata obtained during this scanning in order to find the marking.

In the scanning, for example, a part of the document 520 larger than thepart corresponding to the defined possible location may be scanned,e.g., in FIG. 1 the whole document area 410. Thereby, the settings ofthe scanning may remain the same for a number of searches. In theprocessing part of the search, only data obtained from scanning the partof the document 520 corresponding to the defined marking location may beprocessed, and scan data obtained from other parts of the document 520may be disregarded. The amount of time and processing power required tofind a marking is found to depend significantly on the processing of thescan data. Accordingly, the amount of data to be processed is reducedsignificantly in this manner.

However, it is also possible to scan only the part of the document 520or document area 410 corresponding to the defined possible location. Forinstance, in case the scanning requires a relatively large amount oftime, scanning only that part reduces the amount of time required tosearch for the marking.

The searching of parts of the document corresponding to differentdefined locations of the marking may have an overlap in time. Forexample, searching a part of the document 520 may at least partially beperformed during processing of scan data obtained from another part ofthe document. In such case, for instance, the scan data obtained fromthe searching the second part may be stored in a buffer memory until thedata obtained from the first part are processed. Thereby, the amount ofprocessing power required is reduced. Also, the processing of thedocument is not hampered by the search, since, after the scanningoperation, the document itself can be processed further while the scandata obtained from the document is being processed separately.

A single scanning run may for instance be performed, after which thescan data is stored in a buffer memory. The scan data obtained from thepart of the document corresponding to the first possible location maythen be processed first. In case the marking is not found, the scan dataobtained from the part of the document 520 corresponding to the secondpossible location may be processed thereafter. This may be repeated withscan data obtained from different parts of the document 520, until themarking is found in the scan data.

Furthermore, scan data obtained from different parts of the document 520may be processed simultaneously. Thereby, the amount of time requiredfor the processing is reduced. However, compared to a consecutiveprocessing of data obtained from different parts, the amount of requiredprocessing power is increased.

The scanning may be performed in any suitable manner. In the scanning,for example, a digital image may be obtained from at least a part of thedocument to be searched. For instance, the document may be scannedoptically, for instance using a camera. However, the document may alsobe scanned electronically. For instance, in case the document is anelectronic document, the sensor 300 may be arranged to receive datarepresenting the electronic document and scan the part of the electronicdocument corresponding to the location defined by the sensor controlunit 310.

For example, document data representing the electronic document may bereceived by the sensor. The document data may, for example, be a set ofdata readable by a printer, such as a post-script document. From thereceived document data an image of at least a part of the documentcorresponding to the defined first part and/or the second part may berendered by the sensor 300. The rendered image may then be processed tofind the marking. It should be noted that rendering an image fromdocument data is known in the art of image processing, and for the sakeof brevity not described in further detail.

In case the document is an electronic document, the part correspondingto a defined possible location may extend along more than one page. Forexample, in the scanning a single image which represents the appearanceof a multiple of pages may be rendered. For instance, when no possiblelocation data set is present in the memory, an image of the entiredocument may be rendered and processed.

The scan data obtained in the scanning may thereafter be processed inorder to find marking data which represent the marking. For example,when a digital image has been generated which represents the appearanceof the scanned part of the document, the image may be processed to findthe marking. In case the marking is a barcode, for instance, the imagemay be searched for two parallel lines with a length corresponding tothe height of the barcode or any other suitable indicia. For example,the scan data may be scanned for a pattern specific for the type ofmarking. The pattern may for example be a part of the marking notrepresenting information. For instance, 1-d barcodes typically include apattern of two parallel lines defining the direction and position of the1-D code, whereas 2-D barcodes include a pattern of two perpendicularlines forming a coordinate system.

The location of the marking may then be determined in terms of thematrix coordinates of the marking in the image. Supposing, for example,that the digital image has a matrix size of 1024 by 768 pixels and themarking occupies a 20 by 30 pixel part at the upper left of the image,the location of the marking can be determined as the area between imagepixel coordinates (0,0), (0,20), (30,0), and (30,20).

In the example of FIG. 1, the document 520 includes two markings520,521. However, the document 520 may also be provided with more thantwo or less than two markings. In case the document includes more thanone marking, it may be determined whether or not a found marking is of adesired type, and, in case the found marking is not of a desired type,the method may be continued as if no marking has been found, until amarking of the desired type is found. For example, the above-mentionedpattern specific for the type of marking may be determined and in casethe pattern does not match with the desired type, the method may becontinued. However, it is also possible that the data represented by themarking is searching for a predefined type-identifying code. Forexample, the data may be searched for a sequence of digits, e.g., 3binary zeros, identifying the type of marking. The predefinedtype-identifying code may for example be present at a predeterminedposition in the sequence of data represented by the marking, e.g., forexample at the beginning or at the end of the sequence.

FIG. 3 schematically illustrates an example of an embodiment of a systemfor processing documents. In this example, the system is arranged togenerate mail items. The system may e.g., perform a method according tothe invention. The shown system includes a printer 200 for printing adocument. A mail piece assembler 100 is positioned, in a processingdirection of the at least one document, downstream of the printer 200.The mail piece assembler 100 can receive the printed document, asschematically indicated with arrows 221-223. The mail piece assembler100 can assemble the printed document, and optionally additionaldocuments, into a mail item, as will be explained below in more detail.Upstream of the printer 200, the system may further include a documentgenerator (not shown) for generating document data and providing thedocument data to the printer 200. The printer 200 may then print aphysical document with the content and/or layout defined by the documentdata.

The mail piece assembler 100 includes a number of successive processingstations 1-7. The processing stations 1-7 are in a processing directionof the documents, and in that order: a supply station 1 for supplyingseparates sheets, a collecting station 2, a first and second supplementsupply station 3 and 4, a folding station 5, a transport unit 6 and aninserter station 7. The mechanical components of the shown assembler 100may, for example, be implemented as stations which resemblesubstantially the construction of stations sold by the applicant underthe name “SI-92”.

It should, however, be noted that many other arrangements of processingstations can be used, and the invention is not limited to the shownexample. In particular, depending on the desired end product, processingstations may be added or removed. Furthermore, the position of one ormore of the processing stations in the processing direction may bechanged. For example, the supplement supply stations 3 and 4 may bereplaced by another type of station. It is also possible to replace thesupply station 1 and the collecting station 2 with a single station orto make other adjustments.

In the example, the supply station 1 is constructed to supply separatesheets to the collecting station 2. In the collecting station 2, thesheets received from the supply station 1 may optionally be collected tostacks of sheets, each of which, for example, may form a set ofdocuments to be formed into a single mail piece. The sheets or stacks ofsheets can subsequently be passed through supplement-supply stations 3and 4, during which, if desired, supplements are added to the sheets orthe stacks of sheets. In the folding station 5, the sheets and optionalsupplements are folded. When the sheets and supplements have beencollected in a stack, the sheets and supplements are folded together,i.e., as a stack. The transport unit 6 includes a transport track 9, towhich the inserter-station 7, the folding station 5, thesupplement-supply stations 3, 4 and the collecting station 2 aremounted.

The example shown in FIG. 3 further includes a central control unit 10and a number of station control units 13-18. Each of the station controlunits 13-18 is connected to one of the stations 1-7. The station controlunits 13-18 are connected to the central control unit by means of datacommunication connections 19. The central control unit 10 may sendcontrol commands to the respective station control units 13-18, via thedata communication connection 19. Based on the received controlcommands, the respective station control unit 13-18 controls theoperation of the respective station 1-7. In FIG. 2, the central controlunit is further connected to the printer 200 via a data communicationconnection 21.

The station control units 13-18 are further mutually connected by meansof a module communication connection. Via which the station controlunits 13-18 next to each other can exchange information, for examplethat a sheet is presented by a station to a station further down in theprocessing direction.

One or more of the stations 1-7, and/or the printer 200 in the systemshown in FIG. 3 may be provided with a system for finding a marking. Inthe example of FIG. 3 for instance, the inserter station 7 is providedwith such a system. As shown in FIG. 3, the sensor 300 is connected viaa sensor communication connection 301 to the central control unit 10. Inthe central control unit 10, the sensor control unit 310, the memory 330and the processor 320 are implemented. Via the sensor communicationconnection 301, data can be exchanged between the sensor 300 and thecentral control unit 10, such as data representing a digital image ofthe document, control data for controlling the operation of the sensor300 or other suitable data. FIG. 4 schematically shows an example of aninserter station 7. The shown inserter station 7 may, for instance, beimplemented with a mechanical construction similar to that of theinserter station marked by the applicant under the name “IN-3”.

The inserter station 7 includes an envelope supply 70 via whichenvelopes 500 are provided to the inside of the inserter station 7. Inoperation, the envelopes 500 are supplied with documents 520 provided ata document input 72. As shown, the envelopes 500 are opened, and one ormore documents 520 are inserted in the envelope 500. The documents mayor may not have been folded before inserting. The filled envelopes 510are then discharged from the inserter station 7 via a mail piece exit73. Inserter stations are known in the art of mail processing systems,and for the sake of brevity, the mechanical aspects of the insertstation 7 are not described in further detail.

As shown in FIG. 4, the station 7 may be provided with a sensor 300 andadditional circuitry, for instance near the mail piece exit 73. In thisexample, the sensor 300 includes a line-scan camera which opticallyscans a document, i.e., in this example the filled envelop 510, in ascan direction S transverse to the processing direction P. Morespecific, the line-scan camera scans a line of the document-orientedtransverse to the processing direction P, and since the documents movein the processing direction P can scan a 2-dimensional area. In thisexample the scan area is defined in terms of a period of time requiredfor (a part of) a document to pass through the scan window 340. Thesensor 300 obtains optical scan data representing the optical appearanceof (a part of) the filled envelope 510, which is processed to find themarking, for example in a manner as has been described before withreference to the example of FIGS. 1 and 2.

The invention is not limited to implementation in the disclosed examplesof units, devices and systems, but can likewise be applied in otherunits, devices and systems. In particular, the invention is not limitedto physical devices or units implemented in non-programmable hardwarebut can also be applied in programmable devices or units able to performthe desired device functions by operating in accordance with suitableprogram code. Furthermore, the devices may be physically distributedover a number of apparatuses, while logically regarded as a singledevice. For example, the central control unit 10 of the documentprocessing system shown in FIG. 3 may be physically implemented as anumber of hardware devices arranged to perform the functions of thecentral control unit 10. Also, devices logically regarded as separatedevices may be integrated in a single physical device. For example, theunits 310,320 of the system shown in FIG. 3 can be implemented in asingle processor able to perform the functions of the respective units.

The invention may also be implemented in a computer program for runningon a computer system, at least including code portions for performingsteps of a method according to the invention when run on a programmableapparatus, such as a computer system or enabling a programmableapparatus to perform functions of a system according to the invention.Such a computer program may be tangible embodied in a data carrier, suchas a CD-ROM or diskette, stored with data loadable in a memory of acomputer system, the data representing the computer program or any othertype of article of manufacture suitable for the specific implementation.The data carrier may further be a data connection, such as a telephonecable or a wireless connection transmitting signals representing acomputer program according to the invention.

For example, in FIG. 1 the system is shown in an operational state,however, the system may also be provided as a kit for finding markingson a document. Such a kit may, e.g., be mounted on a processing unit inorder to obtain the advantages of the invention. In the examples ofFIGS. 5 and 6, the components of the kit are shown in a connected state.However, the kit may also be provided as a set of separate componentsthat are connectable to each other, e.g., as a set of a sensor and anelectronic circuit arranged to search data generated by the sensor forthe markings at the selected locations.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show examples of kits for finding markings on a document.As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 such a kit may include a memory 330 in whichdata representing one or more possible locations of a marking on adocument can be stored and a search unit, formed in the examples by asensor 300 and a sensor control unit 310. The search unit is arranged todefine a first possible location of a marking on the document and tosearch a first part of a document for the marking. The first partcorresponds to the first possible location. The search unit is furtherarranged to define a second possible location of a marking on thedocument in case the marking is not found in the first part and tosearch a second part of the document for the marking, said second partcorresponding to the second possible location.

In the examples of FIGS. 5 and 6, the sensor control unit 310 isconnected via an input/output 312 to the memory 330 for selecting alocation of a marking and defining the first possible location or thesecond possible location corresponding to the selected location. Thesensor control unit 310 can further store the location of a foundmarking in the memory 330 via the input/output 312. The kit further hasa processor 320 connectable to the search unit, in this example to thesensor 300 for deriving information about the first document from thefound marking. The processor can output data representing the derivedinformation, for further processing of the information. The processor320 is connected to the sensor control unit 310 to send information tothe sensor control unit 310 about a found marking.

In the example of FIG. 5, the kit is implemented as a camera, which cangenerate an image of a document. The camera includes a housing 350. Thesensor control unit 310, the processor 320, the memory 330 and thesensor 300 are provided in the inside of the housing 350. The cameraincludes an optical sensor 300 with an optical element 303 forconverting electromagnetic radiation into signals. The optical element303 is connected to a processor 304 which generates data suitable to beprocessed by the processor 320, from the signals received from theoptical element 303.

In the example of FIG. 5, the camera can search a document outside thehousing 350. The example of FIG. 6 can search a document passing from aninlet slit 351 to an outlet slit 352 of the housing. As shown a sensor300 is provided such that a document passing through a document passagebetween the inlet 351 and the outlet 352 can be searched. The sensor 300is positioned nearby the inlet 351. In this example the sensor 300 hasan elongated shape and is positioned in parallel to the longitudinaldirection of the slit. A document passing from the inlet 351 to theoutlet 352 will be searched for a marking by the sensor and thecircuitry described in the above. The example of FIG. 5 or 6 can forexample be mounted on an existing document processing apparatus. Forinstance, the example of FIG. 6 can be mounted with the inletcommunicating with the mail piece exit 73 of FIG. 4.

In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described withreference to specific examples of embodiments of the invention. However,various modifications and changes may be made. The specifications anddrawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather thanin a restrictive sense. For example, the marking may represent anyinformation suitable for the specific implementation, and for examplerepresent an identifier of a document, or processing instructions for adocument processing apparatus, or archiving instructions or any othersuitable information.

Also, the markings may be provided on the physical document in anymanner suitable for the specific implementation, and may, for example,include a barcode. In a barcode, a number of (alpha)numerical signs isconverted into a number of signs of variable length, and sometimes avariable distance between the signs. To read a barcode, the sign, aswell as the size thereof is determined, either in one dimension (inwhich case the barcode is referred to a 1-dimensional barcode) or in twodimensions (in which case the barcode is referred to a 2-dimensionalbarcode). The marking may also include (alpha)numerical signs or othersuitable types of markings. A barcode is a pattern of (parallel) barsand spaces of various widths that represent data elements or characters.The bars may, for example represent strings of binary ones and thespaces strings of binary zeros. A “one-dimensional” barcode contains aseries of bars and spaces that vary only in a single dimension, e.g., inheight. In a “two-dimensional” barcode, the information storage capacityis increased relative to one-dimensional barcodes by varying the barcodepatterns in two dimensions. Common two-dimensional barcode standardsinclude PDF417, Code 1, and Maxicode. One-dimensional andtwo-dimensional barcode symbols typically are read by optical scanningtechniques (e.g., by mechanically scanned laser beams or byself-scanning charge-coupled devices (CCD's)) that convert a printedbarcode symbol into electrical signals. The electrical signals aredigitized and decoded to recover the data encoded in the printed barcodesymbol.

The marking may, for example, also include OMR (Optical MarkRecognition) marking. In an OMR marking, the signs are binary, i.e., ateach reserved sign position either a sign is present or not. Thepresence of a sign at a reserved sign position has a predeterminedmeaning, e.g., a binary one or a binary zero. By combining a number ofsign positions, the number of possibilities in increased, e.g., using 16signs there are 65536 possibilities.

Furthermore, any suitable type of sensor may be used, such as an opticalcamera, an infra-red camera, an electronic document scanner arranged toscan electronic document data or any other suitable type of sensor.However, other changes and modifications are also possible. The merefact that certain measures are recited in mutually different claims doesnot indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used toadvantage.

1. A method for processing a document, said method comprising:performing one or more processing steps with the document; defining afirst possible location of a marking on a document by selecting from amemory a location of a marking and setting the possible location inaccordance with the selected location; searching a first part of adocument for the marking, said first part corresponding to the firstpossible location; if the marking has not been found in said first partrepeatedly until the marking has been found or all the marking locationsstored in the memory have been selected: defining a further possiblelocation of a marking on a document by selecting from a memory a furtherlocation of a marking and setting the further possible location inaccordance with the further selected location; and searching a furtherpart of the document for the marking, said further part corresponding tothe further possible location; if the marking has been found in thefirst part or the further part: storing the location of the marking withrespect to the document; deriving information concerning the documentfrom the marking found; and presenting the derived information at anoutput, for further processing of the information; or if, after allparts of the document corresponding to possible locations of the markingstored in the memory have been searched, the marking has not been found:searching a part of the document larger than the searched parts of thedocument for the marking.
 2. The method according to claim 1, whereinsaid searching the first part of the document and/or searching thesecond part of the document includes: scanning at least the respectivepart of the document; and processing scan data obtained during saidscanning to find marking data representing the marking.
 3. The methodaccording to claim 2, wherein in said processing scan data only dataobtained from scanning the first part and/or the second part of thedocument is processed, and, optionally, wherein a part of the documentlarger than the first part and/or the second part, such as substantiallythe whole document area, is scanned.
 4. The method according to claim 2,wherein only the first part and/or the second part is scanned.
 5. Themethod according to claim 2, wherein said scanning includes generatingan image of at least the respective part of the document.
 6. The methodaccording to claim 2, wherein said searching a second part is at leastpartially performed during processing of scan data obtained from thefirst part, and said method further including: storing the scan dataobtained from said searching the second part in a buffer memory untilthe data obtained from the first part are processed.
 7. The methodaccording to claim 2, further including defining a document area to bescanned.
 8. The method according to claim 7, further including:determining a scan window; determining a position of a document to bescanned within the scan window; and defining a document area within thescan window corresponding to the determined position of the document. 9.The method according to claim 1, wherein the first possible location isdefined as the whole searchable part of the document, the method furtherincluding: storing the location of the marking in the memory; andselecting the stored location as a possible location for marking on afollowing document and performing the method with said followingdocument.
 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the document andthe following document are of a different type.
 11. The method accordingto claim 1, wherein the document is a physical document or an electronicdocument.
 12. The method according to claim 2, wherein the document isan electronic document, and wherein said scanning includes: receivingdocument data representing the electronic document; and rendering fromthe document data an image of at least a part of the documentcorresponding to the defined first part and/or the second part.
 13. Themethod according to claim 1, further including: receiving documentprocessing instructions, and determining from the processinginstructions information about the document and selecting the firstpossible location and/or second possible location taking the determineddocument information into account.
 14. The method according to claim 13,including determining from the processing instructions a maximum size ofthe document, and wherein the first possible location and/or secondpossible location are selected taking the determined document size intoaccount.
 15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the documentincludes at least two markings, and said searching includes, in case amarking is found, determining whether or not said found marking is of adesired type, and, in case the found marking is not of a desired type,determining that the marking is not found.
 16. The method according toclaim 15, further including: searching data represented by the markingfor a predefined type-identifying code.
 17. The method according toclaim 1, wherein the marking includes one or more of the group:1D-barcode, 2-D barcode, optical mark recognition marking, text, postalcodes, zip code, a planet code, or a 4-state code.
 18. A system forprocessing a document, said system including: at least one processingunit for performing one or more processing steps with a document, suchas printing, franking, assembling to mail pieces or opening a receivedmail piece; a search unit having an input connected to a memory forselecting a location of a marking from the memory; the search unit beingarranged for: defining a first possible location of a marking on adocument by selecting from the memory a location of a marking andsetting the possible location in accordance with the selected location;and searching a first part of a document for the marking, said firstpart corresponding to the first possible location; the search unitfurther being arranged for, if the marking has not been found in saidfirst part, repeatedly until the marking has been found or all themarking locations stored in the memory have been selected: defining afurther possible location of a marking on a document by selecting fromthe memory a further location of a marking and setting the furtherpossible location in accordance with the further selected location; andsearching a further part of the document for the marking, said furtherpart corresponding to the further possible location; the search unitfurther having an output connected to the memory, for storing thelocation of a found marking in the memory; a processor connected to thesearch unit, for deriving information concerning the document from themarking found, which processor has a processor output at which datarepresenting the derived information can be outputted for furtherprocessing of the information.
 19. A kit for finding and readingmarkings on a document, said kit including: a memory in which datarepresenting at least one prospective location of a marking on adocument can be stored; a search unit having an input connected to thememory for selecting a location of a marking from the memory; the searchunit being arranged for: defining a first possible location of a markingon a document by selecting from the memory a location of a marking andsetting the possible location in accordance with the selected location;and searching a first part of a document for the marking, said firstpart corresponding to the first possible location; the search unitfurther being arranged for, if the marking has not been found in saidfirst part, repeatedly until the marking has been found or all themarking locations stored in the memory have been selected: defining afurther possible location of a marking on a document by selecting fromthe memory a further location of a marking and setting the furtherpossible location in accordance with the further selected location; andsearching a further part of the document for the marking, said furtherpart corresponding to the further possible location; the search unitfurther having an output connected to the memory, for storing thelocation of a found marking in the memory; a processor connected to thesearch unit, for deriving information concerning the document from themarking found, which processor has a processor output at which datarepresenting the derived information can be outputted for furtherprocessing of the information.
 20. The kit of claim 19, furtherincluding a sensor for perceiving a physical document.
 21. The kit ofclaim 20, further including a housing in which said memory, said searchunit, said processor and said sensor are present.
 22. A memory in whicha data structure for access by a data processing system is stored, thedata structure comprising computer program code for, when run on aprogrammable data processing system: causing one or more processingsteps with the document, such as printing, franking, assembling to mailpieces, or opening received mail pieces to be performed; defining afirst possible location of a marking on a document by selecting from amemory a location of a marking and setting the possible location inaccordance with the selected location; causing a first part of adocument to be searched for the marking, said first part correspondingto the first possible location; if the marking has not been found insaid first part, repeatedly until the marking has been found or all themarking locations stored in the memory have been selected: defining afurther possible location of a marking on a document by selecting from amemory a further location of a marking and setting the further possiblelocation in accordance with the further selected location; and causing afurther part of the document to be searched for the marking, saidfurther part corresponding to the further possible location; if themarking has been found in the first part or the further part: storingthe location of the marking with respect to the document; derivinginformation concerning the document from the marking found; andpresenting the derived information at an output, for further processingof the information; or if, after all parts of the document correspondingto possible locations of the marking stored in the memory have beensearched, the marking has not been found: causing a part of the documentlarger than the searched parts of the document to be searched for themarking.